Outrage as NRI woman dies by suicide in US, alleges abuse by spouse in video
New Delhi, August 6
A young NRI woman’s death by suicide, and a viral video detailing her domestic abuse, sparked outrage across social media platforms on Saturday with several Indian community groups in New York coming together to seek justice for Mandeep Kaur.
The video posted online by The Kaur Movement, an online portal working to raise awareness regarding violence against South Asian women, has brought the issue of abuse of NRI women back into focus.
The MEA, including Indian missions and posts abroad, received 3,955 complaints between 2017 and 2019 related to matrimonial disputes from married women of Indian citizenship. The complaints received were 1,498 in 2017, 1,299 in 2018 and 1,158 in 2019. In the video, Mandeep, who hails from UP’s Bijnor, is seen being assaulted by her husband, with her two daughters, aged four and six years, whimpering in the backdrop. “I endured my husband’s abuse for eight years hoping he would change one day but no,” a tearful and despairing Mandeep says in the video she recorded before her death by suicide on August 3. Mandeep names her husband and in-laws in the video statement saying, “God will watch everyone’s actions. I am saying nothing.” She also alleged that her husband once kidnapped and confined her to a truck for six days, assaulting her daily.
